Pros: - An absolute joy to play!
- Majority is tight and technical
- Accurate placement necessary
- Lots of elevation change
- Cement and rubber pads
- Starts off mostly open before it quickly tightens down in the woods.
- Spectacular views of Lake Michigan
- Winds are a factor and because of the lake can change multiple times in a single round.

Cons: - The tee pads in the wood are way to short
- Difficult to navigate. Foot paths run everywhere after the 3rd time playing I've finally got the order down. I normally am able to do this first time through a course.
- Hole #7 throws across the entrance to the park. From a car owners view that could really suck.

Other Thoughts: I had not played Beauty in a couple years and was delighted to discover holes A thru F. Vastly improved the course and made it the one to play out of the three in the park.
A great trip for the whole family. There's a play ground at the park for the kiddies. Just down the road is a beach (Buttersville, which dogs are allowed at).

Pros: Very scenic, good shot variety, several elevation changes.
-Well layed out for the most part, and well maintained, with well defined fairways.
-Not much repetition between holes (even holes that require similar drives still "feel" different).
-Challenging, without be overly so. Not too tough for beginners, but still enough to challenge experienced players.
-Concrete pads on most holes.
-Not as much threat of losing discs as some courses (but still present).
-Score cards provided.
-Pavilion w/restrooms and picnic tables next to paved parking lot.
Can't exactly put my finger on why, but this course is incredibly "inviting" to play. Disc golfing at its most fun.

Cons: -Although I didn't, Pros and top Ams will find this course a bit too easy.
-One hole plays directly across the road near the park's entrance. Other holes have yo throwing along the road, where it (and cars) can come into play.
-Navigation: had to search for next hole few times or so, but not for too long. Better signs on the supplemental A-F holes and course maps on the cards would be an improvement, but given how this course is funded and the story behind this course (please read Other Thoughts), it's hard to ding the rating for that.

LOCALS: Course navigation could be enhanced by painting the spoke on each basket that points the way to the next tee pad.

Other Thoughts: Most enjoyable round I've ever played! You do yourself an injustice if you come here on a tight schedule - take your time and enjoy this gem.

An unusual, but incredibly symbiotic relationship exists here: this is a county park, but the property is owned by the local utility company. Yet all 3 courses in the park were designed by and are COMPLETEY maintained by local enthusiasts entirely on their own, with no funding or assistance from the county or power company. EVERYTHING about this course is literally a grass-roots effort: from mowing and weed-whacking fairways (and you think you got it rough doing your yardwork?) to tee pads, signs, score cards, gas for the mowers, trimmer line, etc. All of it was and is done by them, paid for by player donations ($1/day), or out of their pockets. What a GREAT example of peaceful co-existence. Kudos to the locals for making this happen - a major win-win!!

P.S. If you're hungry after playing, well worth the 7 mile drive north into downtown Ludington to soak up some local hospitality and grab a great burger at the local micro-brewery.

Update: Played hera a 2nd time, and while I continue to love this course more than most anything around me, I'm not sure it deserves the 4.5 I originally awarded. Still excellent by any measure, I'd give Beauty a 4.25 if I could, but I can't call it a 4.5.

Pros: This course was a delight to play all 3 times I've played it. Its a very well maintained park in a beautiful setting.

Most of the concrete tees were large and quite clean. A few back farther in the woods could have been a little bigger and needed a sweeping but that was only a couple.

The pin placement is nice. Even the shorter holes had a bit of a challenge. Each hole was really its own.

We had no problem finding discs in the limited underbrush. Even if you do have a drive really get away from you finding it shouldn't be too much of a problem

Ace and birdie opportunities abound.

The wooded holes really made for a nice cool relief from the 80+ degree sun.

Cons: I don't know if this takes away from the courses score but it wasn't all that difficult. It is still definately worth playing and it took a solid day of driving and putting for me to leave even.

Though the holes along the roadway are nice they still play across and along the road which can definitely be an issue on a busy day and especially if you have a larger group and/or children with you.

Brooms at the tees would be very helpful on some holes especially the last 3 alternates which have rubber pads still.

Other Thoughts: This courses overall package is wonderful. A great balance of challenge and fun with some great scenery thrown in If you have a hard time on the other courses play Beauty to get some confidence back.

Even if you have a rough day disc'n take the walkway's out to Lake Michigan at the end of the park. They make for some wonderful picture taking. Going to the observation deck and checking out the incredible view is worth the big uphill hike.

Pros: Beauty sits in a scenic multi-use park with plenty of discing opportunities for everyone of all ability levels (3 different 24-hole courses).

This is a great course for a group of mixed abilities. Longer, open field holes give the power throwers a chance to shine while the wooded holes reward the shorter but more accurate throwers. All the wooded holes have definite fairways and most have multiple routes to the pin. I loved that there are no toss-n-pray pinball holes here. Strong wind off Lake Michigan is in play on some of the wide open holes and there are plenty of varied challenges for everyone! The course and surrounding park is very well maintained and there were very few places with thick shule in the rough.

This course is a nice balance of open, partially wooded, and thickly wooded holes with plenty of elevation changes for added fun. The course layout makes excellent use of all the myriad of terrain and vegetation changes available on its end of the park and incorporates a great mix of straight, fade, turn, "S", dogleg, and even J-hook shots. There are many blind shots here due to either foliage or rolling terrain changes, adding tot he challenge factor significantly. However, the wide and well defined fairways and lack of any really heavy shule makes the blind holes fun rather than frustrating. Chances of losing a disc here are pretty minimal. Paths between holes were well worn and obvious, for the most part.

The various entry points to the course were well marked and had rules signage, multi-course scorecards, and obvious pay-to-play boxes with a sufficient stash of envelopes.

Cons: Holy cow, that climb up to the #1 tee is a doozy!! Stairs of some sort would be really nice, but the view from there is amazing (although not quite as nice as from the Beast #1)!

Maps or more consistency in hole and "next tee" signage would be a benefit for first timers and cement tee pads for all the holes would earn this course a significant jump up in ratings. The alternate holes, while being some of the most interesting on the course, have a very definite "after thought" feel with minimalistic (often hand written) hole signage, few or no directional signs, non worn-in paths, and some rubber tee mats.

The main road into the park comes into play on at least 4 holes (2 along and 2 over), so watch for cars! Throwing along the road twice was bad enough, but having to throw across the road had me really scratching my head. Hikers and dog walkers also frequent areas in and around the disc golf courses.

Other Thoughts: We went early in the season, before the park was officially open so not all the scorecard boxes actually had cards in them and the restrooms were not open yet, but the supplied port-a-johns were clean and stink free. Even this early in the season the parking lot across the street was full by 3:00.

This scenic, well-kept park with great views of Lake Michigan is a fabulous place bring a picnic and hang out for the day! If you plan to stay all day you may want to pack a light jacket/sweater/hoody as the cold wind off the lake tends to pick up later in the day making sweaty, sunburned bodies chilly. When taken as a whole, the combination of courses at this park would rate at least a 4.5 or 5, and a minimal amount of course work and attention to detail would elevate this to a 5. However, as a first timer there, the frustration of trying to find our way around really took some of the joy out of being here.

*** Update 10/12/09 ***
A second round here with some knowledge of course layout and pin placement made for a much more enjoyable day. The course was once again really clean of trash although there was lots of downed leaves and branches from recent storms. Also, there are no facilities available in the park now that the building is closed for fall and we had a really unpleasant experience with a group behind us and their 2 out-of-control dogs. I LOVE dogs, but not everyone does, and even I was irritated by these 2 constantly following us, barking while putting and driving, and then having to listen to the owners hollering at them at the top of their lungs. Argh! If your pets won't stay close, PLEASE leash them!!!!

*** Update 7/23/11 ***
All tee pads have been updated to concrete although many are shorter than you'd expect. many, many small, low, red "Next Tee" signs have been added along the course making navigation MUCH easier. These 2 changes alone have inspired me to raise my rating a bit as this makes the course much more enjoyable.

However, I still argue that incorrect, shabby, and missing signage on many holes takes away some of the enjoyment and I feel it's absolutely inexcusable for a county park pay-to-play course. Ditto for the trash we picked up along the way.

Pros: Nice lay out. Great elevations. Scenery is beautiful. The course is well maintained. There is pavilion and park for the kids. There are some great views of Lake Michigan. Make sure to take your camera.

Cons: Some of the signs are broken. Other than that I have no cons.

Other Thoughts: If you show up and the gate is closed you can start at hole 8 which is on the north east side of the park. Play holes 8-18 first then play the front 1-7on your way back to your car. There is a donation box at the top of the hill by hole 8. Make sure to put you donation in an envelope that is provided. I think there are score cards in the box as well

If the gate is open and you can park by the pavilion. You than can start at any of the three courses that are there. Beauty, Beast, or Goliath. However I recommend playing Beauty first if you haven't played any of the courses before.

The wind wasn't too much of an issue due to the fact that we were in the woods most of the time

We went in early May, so we didn't have any problems with bugs.

We started at 10:00 am and the park was empty, however by the time we were done the park was packed. It must have been due to cabin fever. It was a nice weekend.

If you see some garbage lying around please pick it up and throw it away. We need to maintain our courses and protect our environment if we want to preserve this sport. I do.

Pros: Out of the courses there at the pump storage this one would be the one to throw to get you warmed up for the other two courses that follow, but don't underestimate this course by any means. This course has alittle bit of everything from open holes to the back nine which is all in the woods. That is where the technical aspect of this course comes in, finding a way to get around all the trees without hitting them. I think that it is a great course for someone to go learn to throw on. It doesn't have too big of holes, I think the longest one is around 400 feet, but throwing out in the woods is where your technique will come in and help you with your throwing.. This course is great for beginners and pros alike.

Cons: Bring bug spray in the summer and being by lake michigan can get really windy at times.

Pros: Well-maintained, quick to play a round. Start at either the first or 6th hole. Difficult to lose a disc on a bad throw.

Cons: Might be too difficult for first timers - lots of trees, especially on the 3rd hole. LOTS of bugs.

Other Thoughts: This course is a great warmup for the 2 other courses on-site, Beast and Goliath. You can play through Beauty in about 45 minutes if you don't have to wait for other people. During nice days in the summer, this place is always busy.

Most of the Front nine holes are similar to Holes 14-18 at the Beast. Not particularly long(175-400 feet), but fairly technical, with steep and sandy microdunes. The back nine has woods holes not found at the other area courses. Almost no holes are completely flat, and actually more hilly than some Beast areas. Terrific area for disc golf. Alternate holes (A-F) are mostly as good as the regular holes. 24 holes make a solid two hours of golf.

Cons: Lesser tee pads than Beast, though it doesn't share territory with another course like Goliath does. The front nine has fairly small cement tees, and the back nine woods holes have rubber tees. Navigation is actually more difficult than the Beast...we passed Hole 7 due to a lack of signage in the 7-Hole B area near the road. Plenty of sheared-off small stumps on the Back nine to whack your feet and ankles on.

Other Thoughts: A terrific northern Michigan course, and perhaps the best of the three at this complex for beginners or in windy weather. Lacks the epic holes compared with the other Ludington courses.

Pros:
Course Maintenance--
Very clean, personally ive never even seen one single park employee, but its on such a huge chunk of land in north west michigan that a few people wouldnt be able to ruin it if they wanted too. Most holes have concrete tee pads, but a few are rubber.

Hole Variety/Course Layout--
Beauty starts with a couple open throws to warm up, then it brings you into a tech wood section that will bring out your best accuracy, but wont make you too mad if you shank your throw. This course is layed out perfectly to the land its on.

--For the most part it favors "tech" throwers but it does have its holes for "big arms", I would definitely say its a tech course, but it wouldnt be to over wellming for a typical big arm player. Plus "Beast" will more than fullfill your need to let em rip!

Course Atmosphere--
The best!! If you love nature and dont even like disc golf this would still be an awsome place to go!! The course name is Beauty, it explains itself, I really describe how cool the atmosphere of this course really is.

Cons:
--The only thing holding this course back from a 5 rating, is 6 more concrete tees and better signs.

Other Thoughts:
Course Navigation--
Map not needed for survival but will for sure make it a little easier. Most Holes have signs, a few dont have signs but you can still see the basket from those tees.

Hazards--
A couple spots where it can be somewhat thick, but for the most part the only real hazards are the "not too thick" trees in the woods.

Traffic--
Close to none, it's on a HUGE chunk of land with 3 courses making 72 holes in a low populated area. You do the math.

Amount to Play--
1$ per day, per group, there is a little wooded box that you put your money in at hole #1 of all 3 courses.

Access To Course--
Make sure you use the Chauvez Rd. Enterance (makes it alot easier).

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--There is a MASSIVE hill with a viewing tower on top that over looks the entire property and Lake Michigan, if your tempted enough you can walk all the way to the top and launch a disc into orbit!!!! (Try and hit Lake Michigan).